He just needed a bookmark, a placeholder job before joining the Los Angeles Police Department. So in June 1995, when a family friend who owned a Chevrolet store in L.A. asked Manny Sedano if he wanted to try selling cars, Sedano said “sure.”
“In the first couple of months, I made so much for a 21-, 22-year-old, that it was more than the [law-enforcement] job I was applying for,” Sedano told Automotive News.
Nearly 30 years later, Sedano just purchased his fifth dealership and third of the year.
Sedano on March 13 acquired South Bay Volkswagen within the iconic Mile of Cars in National City, Calif., from husband and wife Rudy and Simona Erm. He renamed it National City Volkswagen.
The Erms plan to retire, according to Jason Stopnitzky, co-founder of Performance Brokerage Services, a buy-sell firm in Irvine, Calif. He facilitated the transaction along with Jonathan Forgy, a Performance Brokerage Services partner.
Sedano’s March purchase follows his Feb. 6 acquisition of Penske Ford La Mesa and Penske Lincoln in La Mesa, both in San Diego County, from SoCal Penske Dealer Group, led by president Roger Penske Jr. Penske Jr. on Jan. 1 became vice chair of Penske Transportation Solutions, part of his father Roger Penske’s Penske Corp.
Sedano renamed the dealerships Sedano Ford and Sedano Lincoln.
Sedano grew up in San Diego’s East County, where a pivotal talk in high school inspired him to chase his law enforcement career aspirations via the armed forces. He joined the Marines in 1991 after graduating high school. After the Marines, Sedano returned to L.A. where he accepted that transformative job selling cars.
Sedano said he rose fast at that Chevy store, going from sales to finance to general sales manager. He left the L.A. store and purchased a used-vehicle dealership in Bakersfield, Calif., in 2006, the same year he formed Sedano Automotive Group.
After a few successful ownership ventures as a partner in franchised stores, Sedano purchased Mission Bay Chevrolet and Mission Bay Volkswagen, both in San Diego, in August 2016.
All five stores park Sedano back near where he grew up. He will focus on his new acquisitions for now, but said he plans to expand more in the area. His dealerships are all within about 15 miles of each other and his home — something Sedano likes.
“I want to be able to drive to a store and drive home the same day,” he said.
Gail Kachadourian Howe contributed to this report.
